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The Gladiator
|death= |species=Near-human |gender=Male |height=2.03 meters |mass=101 kilograms |hair=Black, later none |eyes=Yellow |skin=Pale |occupation= |era= |affiliation=Knights of Plague |masters= |apprentices=Becca Smith}} }}Roger Black, known to all as the Gladiator, is the leader of the Knights of Plague and Becca Smith's master. The Gladiator founded the Knights of Plague and based its practices off of ancient NoHead teachings. He trained several previous apprentices, with his most prized pupils being Abalan, who eventually betrayed him, and Becca Smith, mother of Alyssa Smith, who remained loyal. The Gladiator was critical in the seduction of Becca to the dark side, and when her turn was complete, the Gladiator christened her as the commander of the Knights of Plague. Biography Early Life Roger Black was born into a very old, wealthy and gentry family, and raised in the lap of luxury at the family estate, a magnificent mansion in Edgewater which had been in his family’s possession for many centuries. From a very young age, Roger was taught that he was special: Firstly as a mutant, and secondly as Black, whose family name alone commanded respect due to the considerable influence in the government due to their substantial wealth, leadership of New York City going back three generations, and social standing in the community in general. As such, his father, who was known to possess many of the qualities that have distinguished so many of Roger’s ancestors, taught his son about the prudence of maintaining an appearance of respectability to preserve their status of prominence among their kind, as well as the importance of retaining the goodwill of the ruling class from which the family could benefit. Taught to take great pride in his heritage, Roger was encouraged to mainly associate himself with the mutant children of other wealthy families who shared their cast-iron belief in the inherent superiority of powers. In 1985, at the age of seven, he began attending Superhero School, by which time the amount of Dark side activity had began to waver steadily, and the community, during the First NoHead War. Over time, Roger gathered to himself a gang of thugs, a motley composition of the ambitious seeking glory, the weak seeking protection, and the thuggish turning to a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty, most of which would become the first Knights of Plague. Roger claimed they were his friends, and made it appear so in public, but in truth, they amounted to little more than servants, and he cared almost nothing for them. He often manipulated them into committing petty crimes and other misdeeds, but none of these incidents were reliably traced back to the group. During his school career, he did a very good job academically and displayed above-average intelligence and ability, and his skills in history even earned him the recognition of Supermaul’s successor, who invited him into a group of specially-selected students, who, like Roger himself, showed true promise. When he was sixteen, Roger was made a prefect, which showed the hard work he put into appearing a model student in the eyes of his teachers. He also warmly welcomed Mykew Hadeline into the fold, and they would later become close friends. The Knights of Plague After graduating from Superhero School in 1995, Roger disappeared for ten long years. He slipped deeper into the dark side, travelled extensively, consorted with disreputable people, began to become distorted in appearance and lost his handsomeness due to immersing so far in the dark side, and began to use the alias “the Gladiator” openly. Ten years after his disappearance, the Gladiator befriended a wealthy, elderly woman named Harriet Swenson. Harriet showed the Gladiator her home, Swenson Quarters. The Gladiator’s eyes flashed red with greed and avarice upon seeing this place and he desired to live there, because he saw the building to be rightfully his after Harriet’s ancestors stole the mansion from his own. In order to steal this building for himself, the Gladiator killed Harriet. After scouting his family’s old home, he realized there was only one room even he could not access by any means - the Hall of Domination. He covered his tracks well by implanting another false memory into an innocent bystander — Eli, Harriet’s butler. Eli admitted to accidentally putting poison into Harriet’s cocoa, which was believed, as Eli was elderly himself. Meanwhile, the Gladiator took up residence in Swenson Quarters, renaming it Transylvania Quarters. He also learned, much to his shock and horror, that all the early Knights of Plague had been arrested and detained together on the third floor. Ascension The Gladiator, as he was now exclusively called, spent the next fourteen years before the Battle of Transylvania gathering followers in mutants who called themselves, collectively, the Knights of Plague. Some were supportive of his cause to dominate Muggles; while others were greedy for domination, wealth and fame; and yet others joined the Dark Lord out of fear. The Gladiator only valued them for their usefulness to him. They freely committed murder mercilessly and indiscriminately. The Gladiator was given major assistance by the ghost of Annabeth, who could still appear in a completely corporeal form, in doing this. At some point around this time, the Gladiator greatly enhanced his skills in mind control and possession, to the point that he became known to some (primarily the Knights of Plague) as the greatest mind reader in the world. The Gladiator could read, control and unhinge the minds of others, and could almost always tell when he was being lied to. By extension, the Gladiator often enjoyed telepathically invading the minds of others, creating visions designed to torture them into madness. Only after extracting the last exquisite ounce of agony, only when he had them literally begging for death, would he finally kill them. The Secret Apprentice Creating the Army During this time, the Gladiator openly used Transylvania Quarters as his home. He had several apprentices before he became invested in the Smith bloodline, believing Alyssa Smith’s mother, Becca Smith, had the right balance of the dark and light sides in her. Alyssa was aware of the influence the Gladiator could have on her mother, but did not inform her father, believing he would not understand, though she did vow to keep Becca away from the dark side. Eventually, the Gladiator turned Becca to the dark side, anointing her commander of the Knights of Plague, and ordered her to destroy the police station. Though Becca failed to destroy it entirely due to its shields projected after Operation: Purge, she did find a weakness in the shields, before Carrie intercepted her. Afraid to face Becca herself, Carrie shot sparks into the air from her gun, before warning Becca that the entire city knew she was there. Becca nodded approval, as this is what the Gladiator had hoped they could accomplish. Just then, Master Intelligence intervened and drove her away with Sebiscuits’ help. To Becca’s surprise, the Gladiator forgave her for her failure and congratulated her for her efforts. In August 2033, the Gladiator traveled to Bast Castle. Here, he recovered Nagatha’s corpse, mere months after the battle. Using a capsule, the Gladiator brought her to Transylvania Quarters. There, he brought her back from the dead by unknown means, and, realizing she had nowhere to go, took her under his custody. From that day forth, Nagatha served the Gladiator and the Knights of Plague, which the Gladiator was just barely forming when he found her. The Gladiator also Apparated to Beta Prison. There, he blew open the entire third floor, releasing several mutants, many of which knew him and were already loyal. Now he had many minions to do his bidding, and they became his followers, known as the Knights of Plague. S.M.S.B.-Knights of Plague conflict First Encounter In 2035, Master Intelligence received wind that Nagatha had come back to life. Whilst trying to investigate, Master Intelligence, while he was alone, met the Gladiator for the first time. Realizing the Gladiator was too dangerous to be left alive, he immediately attempted to cut him down, but to no avail, as the Gladiator Apparated away with Nagatha. Master Intelligence immediately realized it was the Gladiator who had brought Nagatha back from the dead. Duel With Master Intelligence Later on, the Gladiator encountered Master Intelligence for the second time. After calling Red X back, Master Intelligence engaged the Gladiator in a duel. The Gladiator, however, parried his initial attack and then tortured Master Intelligence and tried to possess him for good, but when it didn't work, he tried to murder him using his sword. However, with the first attack, their swords both became locked in Pitial Defilatelum. After a battle of wills with the Gladiator, Master Intelligence was interceded by Red X, who blasted the Gladiator away. She then grabbed Master Intelligence's hand and they were able to escape. The Search for the Orb The Gladiator was now after the aforementioned Orb of Power housed in the Hall of Domination, wanting to use its power for himself and perpetuate the Knights of Plague. The Gladiator’s first attempt at securing the orb was to have George possess government official Fredrick Stewart and send him to take the orb. During the autumn of 2041, he captured a Muggle named Alicia who tried to have their base destroyed, and killed her during a meeting at Transylvania Quarters with the Knights of Plague before feeding her to Nagatha. During this time, he learned from Becca that the orb was in the Hall of Domination, the aforementioned room they could not breach. However, Fredrick was unable to get into the Hall of Domination. His next attempt was to possess a police officer named Russell Stewart. He was ordered to retrieve the orb, but was seriously injured in the process and was put into a permanent ward at NYC Hospital. Eventually, the Gladiator planned a full-scale attack on the MBH. His plan was to send Nagatha to find a breaking point, before he and his High Generals barged in, soon to be accompanied by the rest. While heading to the site of the planned slaughter, Nagatha recovered news that Alyssa and Andromeda are indeed the same person. Although this news shocked the Gladiator, he did not reveal this to Becca (Alyssa's mother). He then sent Nagatha to find a breaking point in the building. The Gladiator told Nagatha to head inside, despite Becca Smith’s wish to participate, and Nagatha began her search. Master Intelligence barely managed to escape, thanks to the intervention of Andromeda and Sebiscuits. When the Gladiator saw Nagatha being hurled out a window and forced to Apparate to Transylvania Quarters, he realized that she had not found an entry point, and ordered a retreat. Shortly afterwards, the Gladiator resorted to sending Nagatha instead. She injured Percy, who was guarding the orb, but was unable to acquire it herself. Afterwards, the Gladiator tried a different tactic - he used a telepathic link through Lindsay Kellerman to cause her to go there instead. Battle of Transylvania Becca Smith and George later returned to Transylvania Quarters to communicate with the Gladiator via hologram. George proposed using their base’s superweapon to destroy the police’s sanctuary before figuring out how to destroy their headquarters, an undertaking which the Gladiator authorized. He then spoke with Becca privately, asking if she had felt an awakening in the light side. He ordered Becca to kill her daughter to overcome her temptation by the light. Meanwhile, the S.M.S.B. flew to Transylvania Quarters, where they descended to Level 11 and down the corridor to the Chamber of Mystery. When they finally arrived at the Hall of Domination, in the row where the Gladiator was supposed to be waiting, they spotted the Orb of Power with Master Intelligence’s name inscribed on it. Against Intelligence’s advice not to touch it, Telekinibabe picked it up. Accompanied by twelve Knights of Plague — Rodolph Lestange, Sebastian Lestange, Wallace Blanks, Nolan Giles, Eve, John, Caberra, Augustus Salt, Monroe, George, and second-in-command Becca Smith, the Gladiator emerged to pry the orb from Master Intelligence’s hands, upon seeing Telekinibabe hand it to him. Master Intelligence attempted to buy time by mocking the Gladiator and infuriating Becca, yet the Gladiator stopped her from killing Intelligence, in order to protect the orb. In their argument, Becca and the Gladiator broke two energy crystals. Master Intelligence still refused to hand over the orb, so the Gladiator began to tease him that the orb can tell him anything, and make him indestructible, but only if given to him from another. Just then, on Master Intelligence’s signal, the S.M.S.B. members all attacked the Knights of Plague briefly before sprinting away. As they ran, John tried, yet failed, to intercept Master Intelligence. Andromeda and Sebiscuits took out two Knights together. Lindsay also took out Eve. Master Intelligence, Lindsay, and Andromeda fled to the edge of the shelf, where Becca and the Gladiator intercepted them. However, Sebiscuits intervened and blasted them away. Seeing everyone meet there, Master Intelligence telekinetically smashed the shelves, allowing them to flee. Thinking quickly, the Gladiator Apparated to the door leading into the Death Chamber, where the others were headed. He ordered the Knights to pursue the members as they made their entry into the Death Chamber. Although the Gladiator cut Baby Strength, Sebiscuits, Telekinibabe, and Force Baby off from the chamber and forced them into the Space Chamber, they managed to get away when Sebiscuits blasted apart the model of the planet Pluto, which was explosive, to injure their pursuers while the Gladiator escaped. The Knights of Plague forced their way into the Death Chamber, where the Gladiator realized Lindsay had the orb. A moment later, the three S.M.S.B. members met up with the crew the Gladiator had cut off, although Sebiscuits and Force Baby had taken moderate injuries. While the members regrouped, the Knights of Plague swooped down and attacked, capturing everyone except Lindsay and rounding them up before tying them. As the others struggled, the Gladiator stepped up to Lindsay and told her she could hand over the orb, or watch the others die. Finally, Lindsay handed the orb to the Gladiator, who pocketed it in triumph. The Gladiator then revealed the electric bomb the members sought, carrying the capacity to destroy the entire continent. However, Baby Strength used his Super strength to free himself and then stole his captor’s keys. Seeing this, Red X asked Baby Strength to free her, and Baby Strength did this. Seeing this, the Gladiator immediately launched the bomb, but Red X sacrificed her life, running into the bomb and causing herself a slow, painful death. The bomb never passed her torso, negating the range it needed. This infuriated the Gladiator. Meanwhile, Baby Strength freed the others. Master Intelligence, Lindsay Kellerman, Telekinibabe, Andromeda, and Force Baby, and Sebiscuits reclaimed their weapons, and the battle continued. While three different duels were being fought, the Gladiator slipped and fell, and the orb fell out of his hand and broke. Most of the members attempted to escape, though a few stayed to fight. However, Master Intelligence insisted they couldn’t leave without Sebiscuits and Andromeda. The Gladiator moved to attack the fleeing members, but Master Intelligence leaped upward, knocking him away and attacking the villain, reclaiming his sword. This forced the Gladiator to draw his pistol and open fire on the superhero. As Master Intelligence deflected the Gladiator’s gunfire, the villain ignited his jetpack and hid on top of a lighting fixture. The Gladiator then fired the jetpack’s missile at the mutant, which exploded nearby, causing Intelligence to lose his sword. The Gladiator then seized a nearby turbolaser and fired, throwing Intelligence backwards across the platform. The Gladiator reemerged and flew towards Intelligence, who jumped and kicked the villain to the ground, causing him to lose his guns. Meanwhile, Andromeda confronted Becca Smith, pleading with her mother to reject the Gladiator and return to the light side. However, Becca refused and killed Andromeda, who fell into a shaft. Force Baby angrily injured Becca and proceeded to shoot down several unsuspecting Knights much to the struggling Gladiator’s horror. Meanwhile, Sebiscuits disarmed Becca, prompting her to run. Andromeda turned and quickly disarmed George before hurling him into the abyss. As Master Intelligence and the Gladiator engaged in hand-to-hand combat, Master Intelligence noticed his sword nearby. When he tried to grab it, however, the Gladiator shot his whipcord launcher at the mutant, and the cord wrapped around the mutant’s hands and yanked him away from his sword, dragging him across the platform. Master Intelligence tied the cord around a pole, causing the jetpack to fall from the Gladiator’s armor and explode. Just as the Gladiator stood up, Intelligence kicked the Gladiator off the platform, but his hands were still connected to the cord and he fell too. Both opponents fell onto the side of the platform and slid down it, with Master Intelligence using a series of grappling tools to save himself. The Gladiator, however, slid past Intelligence and off over the edge of the platform, where he dangled, held by the cord. Finally, Master Intelligence released the cord, causing the Gladiator to fall down towards the abyss, though he attached the cord onto a structure nearby. As the Gladiator returned to the platform and reclaimed his sword, Master Intelligence slipped and fell off the platform, desperately clinging to a pole attached to the wall. The Gladiator chased Master Intelligence onto a balcony overlooking the abyss, slashing at him. When Intelligence tried to climb back up, the Gladiator slammed Intelligence off the balcony, but he managed to hold on and ended up pulling the Gladiator along. The Gladiator quickly grabbed on to a pole. As he raised himself in position to kill Master Intelligence, the pole started to break off and he fell, clinging on and dropping his sword. Lindsay immediately pulled Intelligence on top and Intelligence levitated the Gladiator there. As Master Intelligence captured the Gladiator with cords, the three surviving Knights of Plague attacked. Lindsay dueled Eve while Baby Strength took on Monroe. At this moment, Master Intelligence returned and most of the fighting stopped and the Knights of Plague that saw him arrive attempted to flee in fear of dueling him. Intelligence quickly rounded up numerous Knights, announcing their capture, but Becca and Sebiscuits were still fighting. Finally, Sebiscuits disarmed Becca and hit her with a death beam, killing her. Later Life After the battle, the Gladiator was captured and taken to court. After the session was over, he was detained in the top cell of a prison he himself had built to hold his enemies. He remained there for life, with no chance of release. Everybody regretted Red X’s death, but as a result of it they all survived. Physical Description The Gladiator was very tall and muscular with large hands. He was seven feet tall, though his hologram used in Transylvania Quarters projected him several times larger than his natural appearance. The Gladiator had an elongated face with pale, hardened skin and sickly yellow eyes. The Gladiator wore a simple cloak, and tended to speak slowly and enunciate his desires with a forceful undertone. Personality and Traits Roger Black, or the Gladiator, was a calculating and reserved military leader as well as a powerful master of the dark side. Becca Smith of the Knights of Plague described the Gladiator as “wise”, while Master Intelligence and Andromeda believed he was manipulative and that he exploited mutants such as Becca herself only for their power. The Gladiator was a quick learner, having a vast knowledge of the past and of the dark side. He displayed tendencies unusual for practitioners of the dark side, displaying an interest in Becca Smith due to her embodiment of a balance between both the light and dark sides, as opposed to only one aspect. The Gladiator showed little emotion, appeared very calm, and didn’t appear to be in any form of worry or distress despite the circumstances against him and the Knights of Plague, only truly showing annoyance when George interrupted him and began to stutter. When Alicia convinced the government to have Transylvania Quarters torn down, he calmly expressed his wishes without showing any form of anger or annoyance, a stark contrast to his apprentice Becca Smith, who was prone to violent outbursts when faced with frustration. Powers and Abilities The Gladiator was incredibly talented in the dark side, and although he was not as powerful as Mr. Stupid NoHead, he was still one of the strongest villains of all time. The Gladiator was an exceptionally skillful sword duelist, preferring to use Ataru, being able to hold his own against the likes of Master Intelligence and Nagatha. He was also able to overpower many other prodigious mutants, and was responsible for the death of Lewis. His dueling style was, ironically, much like Master Intelligence’s in its unpredictability: he could instinctively switch styles in the blink of an eye, and was extremely aggressive, using powerful dark side techniques and masterful fencing moves to overwhelm his opponents. He possessed a masterful knowledge of the most unknown and complex superpowers that a mutant was capable of, and was also a masterful practitioner of torture, with a special affinity for death beams, having murdered at least two dozen people, and was known to have cast this attack effectively while he was still an adolescent. The Gladiator was also capable of developing dark side powers of his own, though most resulted in failure. Apparently, he only chose to face opponents whom he saw as worthy adversaries. The only duelist who was shown to truly be the Gladiator’s equal was Master Intelligence. It ultimately took the S.M.S.B. leader to defeat him, though he only did by sheer luck. In addition, the Gladiator could manipulate the elements of fire. This degree of power, coupled with his blatant morals, made him an extremely dangerous adversary indeed. Possessions Sword In Superhero School, the Gladiator built his sword. Like most Supers, it is his most prized possession. His sword is made of durasteel, a sword with the powers of evil. The sword is in deliberate contrast to the sword of Master Intelligence, whose material has the powers to repel evil. The Gladiator’s sword shared a twin energizer with Master Intelligence’s sword, as both were made of space rocks. The Gladiator would lose this sword after his arrest in 2042. Home The Gladiator lived in Transylvania Quarters ever since he stole it from Harriet Swenson, after the Swensons stole it from the Blacks in the 16th century. It is unknown what happened to it after the Gladiator was arrested.}} Snake In August 2033, the Gladiator traveled to Bast Castle. Here, he recovered Nagatha’s corpse and brought her to Transylvania Quarters. There, he brought her back from the dead and, realizing she had nowhere to go, took her under his custody. From that day forth, Nagatha was his pet, loyally serving the Gladiator and the Knights of Plague. She was killed by Andromeda. Relationships Behind the Scenes D. Isaac Thomas actually began the final draft of the comic before drawing in the Gladiator’s clothes. It is likely he will draw them in later on, sometime between now (October 2016) and the book’s release in February 2018. Thomas designed the Gladiator to which he was muscular, but true to the former’s drawing style, he made sure his muscles were not exaggerated. Etymology “Roger” means “famous spear” from the Germanic elements hrod “fame” and ger “spear”. The Normans brought this name to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Hroðgar (the name of the Danish king in the Anglo-Saxon epic ‘Beowulf’). During the Middle Ages, it was a common name in England. Appearances * Notes and References Category:Single Category:Antagonists Category:Mutants Category:Unknown deaths Category:Battle of Transylvania participants Category:Knights of Plague Category:S.M.S.B.-Knights of Plague conflict Category:1978 births Category:20th century births Category:Masters Category:Individuals Category:Males Category:Dark mutants Category:1970s births